Cherry Valley beekeeper hopes hives survive the frigid winter

In a backyard overlooking the Cherry Valley, three wooden boxes sit frozen, lifeless, covered in snow.

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By CHRIS REBER

poconorecord.com

By CHRIS REBER

Posted Feb. 19, 2014 at 12:01 AM

By CHRIS REBER

Posted Feb. 19, 2014 at 12:01 AM

» Social News

In a backyard overlooking the Cherry Valley, three wooden boxes sit frozen, lifeless, covered in snow.

But inside each box, one can hear the buzz of tens of thousands of honeybees — flapping their wings to keep the hive, and their queen, at a comfortable 93 degrees.

Beekeeper Steve Leibig, keeping the bees alive and fed during an unusually harsh winter is a new challenge.

"You have to accept the weather," Leibig said. "But when your business is affected by it, then you're praying for spring."

Leibig, of Stroud Township, has been raising bees since 2011.

He initially started the project to relieve stress after serving in Iraq.

"You have to be very calm in beekeeping," he said.

Leibig now sells the honey and beeswax products under the label 1847 Stonehaus Hives. His girlfriend, Tricia Turner, said she was skeptical at first, but is now fully involved.

"When he first told me, I was like 'who does that,'" she said. "But this year, I want to go in the hives with him."

Leibig said he can deal with winter in the Poconos, but he admitted it's harder since he started raising bees.

Honeybee colonies are made to survive winter, but it's not always a guarantee.

Bees stockpile honey throughout the year. Beekeepers, like Leibig, typically take their harvest in July, giving the hive ample time to build up a honey supply for winter.

When the temperature drops, worker bees will form a cluster around the queen, flapping their wings to keep her at an even 93 degrees. Despite being covered in snow, the hives are warm to the touch. Leibig said the bees nearest to the honey supply will pass it across the cluster to feed each other.

"They don't hibernate during winter," Leibig said. "Their job is to keep the queen fed, keep her warm. They can't survive without her."

As winter wears on, the chance of a hive running out of food increases. Leibig said in a given winter, beekeepers will lose about 40 percent of their hives, but he's had winters where he hasn't lost any.

Unfortunately this year, Leibig already lost a viable hive because it ran out of food.

"I couldn't get the food to them," he said. "They ate it all."

A hive will survive as long as its queen does. In a given winter a hive's population will dwindle from 50,000-70,000 bees to 20,000-30,000. As long as the queen survives, they can rebuild

"I'm trying to get out of the winter with the bees alive," Leibig said. "Then the queen will be able to lay eggs and repopulate the hive."

It's possible for a beekeeper to feed bees if their honey supply won't last the winter. But it's a risky process that requires temperatures to rise above 50 degrees. Exposing the bees to colder temperatures could kill them.

"You have to take off the top to feed them," Leibig said. "But if you do it under a certain temperature, they'll die."

Beekeepers' preferred honey substitute is fondant — thick, moldable cake frosting that is normally found in high-end cake shops. Leibig is eagerly awaiting a break in the weather — even a temporary one — so he can feed his bees.

"This has been the winter from hell," he said. "It got cold quick, and it's been cold ever since."

Once the weather breaks, the queen bees will be able to lay eggs and worker bees will start producing more honey.

And the lifeless boxes in Leibig's backyard will be buzzing with action.

"Right now, I'll take that warm day," Leibig said. "But I would love for spring to come."